Canadiens News

The morning after

MONTREAL – Lars Eller looks back on his post-game celebration and the unavoidable teasing from his team that was bound to follow.

Eller-vation: When Lars Eller jumped back on the ice to salute the fans and throw some pucks to the crowd after the biggest game of his life, he made sure to make the most of the moment. And who could blame him? Four goals and an assist is enough to merit a bit of an extended curtain call any day – but that doesn’t mean his teammates weren’t going to needle him about it.

“Yeah, they teased me last night and I heard even more about it this morning. Especially that guy a few stalls down there – number 11,” joked Eller about his time in the spotlight. “Looking back on it… I probably shouldn’t have stayed out there for so long. But, you know, I was in the moment. You don’t score four goals every night so I just tried to enjoy it and have some fun.

“Yeah, my parents were awake to see the game,” continued the Danish center when asked about his family’s reaction. “I think they also woke up the whole city – at least that’s what they told me. They were really happy and of course I was on the phone with them for a long time that night. Now my goal is to just try and take the positives with me. I’m not going to be a different player or anything, I just want to keep doing the same things and hopefully the puck will keep on going in.”

Moen the playmaker: There were a lot of impressive numbers on the Canadiens’ side of the scoresheet after Wednesday night’s game and Travis Moen was responsible for a lot of them. The gritty forward turned in one of the best night’s of his career as a member of the Habs’ top line of the game.

“I think we did a great job of supporting each other and getting on the forecheck. We’re four pretty big guys so when we get in there and play physical and turn pucks over it’s a big part of why we’re successful,” said Moen of his two linemates, Eller and Andrei Kostitsyn, who as a unit combined for 10 points in Wednesday’s tilt. Moen would finish the night with a plus-3 differential, notching three assists for the first three-point night of his career.

“A goal’s a goal but it’s nice sometimes to be involved in those tic-tac-toe goals and highlight reel plays,” added Moen. “I’ve been close lots of times, but to finally get the three-point night is definitely a pretty cool feeling.”

Massive minutes: The third star in Wednesday’s game, Erik Cole finished the night having devoured some of the biggest minutes by a Canadien this season. Playing just shy of half the match, Cole closed out the evening with two assists, a plus-1 rating and 27:04 of ice time under his belt.

“Barring overtime that was the most I ever played in a game. It didn’t feel too bad actually. I thought I’d be a lot more sore today than I am, and I felt like I still had some pretty good jump throughout the game,” explained Cole of what ended up being a busier night for him than usual. “I knew there was a chance I would play more. It was discussed a few days ago after practice as to whether or not I felt I could handle some bigger minutes. I walked out of the meeting and decided it was time to go home and get some rest.

“The only thing I’ll probably change for right now is how many meals I eat today to try and replenish everything in the system.”